Photo credit : Blue Origin
Have a fear of turbulence ? Perhaps a concern your flight is overloaded ? Nervous flyers in commercial aircraft can relax if TLG Aerospace is involved with the aircraft . The consultancy in Seattle ’ s Westlake area has it handled .
The company founder , Steve Muenzberg , is cool as a cucumber , and for a good reason . Muenzberg and his wife Lynnette started the company 15 years ago and now have 45 highly skilled aerospace engineers . He ’ s not nervous about the flight because he knows that the solution lies within the physics of how things work . He goes so far as to say that if he is optimizing something as an engineer , he is having fun .
Steve Nelson , program manager , and Robert Lind , director of engineering , also exhibit calm .
Both engineers , like Muenzberg , seem to enjoy their work . And while Nelson indicated that it is challenging , they like problem-solving for their customer .
This perspective is unique for aerospace industry consultants ; they provide complex engineering assessments to their clients .
Things like : Static and dynamic loads Flutter analysis and design Flight and ground testing Design and stress engineering
They also deal with feasibility studies , simulation of failure modes , fuselage decompression loads , and simulation of failure models .
Along with this list of essential assessments and testing , they have Designated Engineering Representatives ( DER ), a role certified with the Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ).
Muenzberg is a DER and said that one must become a “ trusted partner ” first . From there , he noted that you are representing the FAA and finding compliance on their behalf . They will ask him , “ Is the design in compliance with regulations ?” The FAA might know someone for years in a variety of circles before being a certified expert . When a business certifies a product with the FAA , the DER can conduct engineering-related testing to ensure compliance . “ You have to be known and trusted by the FAA . There will be a person who wants to become a DER ; they will have a lot of facetime with the FAA before going through the DER process .”
26 NORTHWEST AEROSPACE NEWS